The S&C PortalThe Standards and Conformance (S&C) Portal is an online facility that offers an easy access to a wide range of information on standards, regulations and conformity assessment activities in the Philippines and other WTO member countries.
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Why Use the S&C Portal? It facilitates a fast, efficient and cost-effective way of obtaining extensive information on standards, conformity assessment requirements, and other trade-related technical regulations/laws; Read the Full Story

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The S&C Portal is administered by the Department of Trade and Industry's Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS), which is the National Standards Body of the Philippines and the WTO TBT Enquiry Point of the country.
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DTI prompts training providers on copyright for PNS, ISO and IEC

Tuesday, 18 December 2018 04:00

The Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) calls the attention of commercial training providers to cease reproducing, digitally or in print, copies of standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), including Philippine National Standards (PNS) as such practice constitutes copyright infringement.

The DTI-BPS as the National Standards Body and the Philippines’ official member representative to the ISO is the only authorized distributor of PNS, ISO and IEC standards in the country.

“The DTI-BPS was made aware that it has become common practice for some training centers to photocopy some PNS, ISO and IEC Standards and distributes them to their session participants. Please note that this is in violation of the DTI-BPS, ISO and IEC’s copyright which might lead to legal conflict and criminal penalties.” DTI-BPS Director, Engr. James E. Empeño apprises. ”Copyright should be respected because it safeguards the use of standards and preserves its integrity and authenticity from unauthorized alterations or adjustments.”, Director Empeño expounds.

PNS, ISO and IEC Standards are available for purchase at the DTI-BPS Standards Data Center at the DTI Main Office, 3F Trade and Industry Building, 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City. The prices depend on the number of pages of the specific standard. Every original document released by the DTI-BPS bears a copyright notice which prohibits the end-user to reproduce the publication by electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission.

At present, the DTI-BPS does not grant permission to reproduce to end-users of standards even if requested. Such measure is to control and prevent copyright infringement issues. However, end-users may directly request permission from the ISO Copyright Office and IEC Central Office for ISO and IEC standards only. PNS reproduction requires permission from the DTI-BPS.

“The DTI reminds local users of PNS, ISO and IEC standards that the provisions of RA No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code (IPC) also apply to creations or works that are protected by virtue of and in accordance with any international convention or other international agreement to which the Philippines is a party.”, states DTI – Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary, Atty. Ruth B.Castelo. She further explains, “The Philippines’ membership to the ISO and IEC entails an obligation to protect their copyright as embodied in the copyright and commercial policies of these international standardization organizations. The DTI cautions erring individuals and businesses that the Department, through the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), will not hesitate to take legal action if copyright offenses are found to be committed.”

For more information on standards and standardization, please call the DTI-BPS at 751.4740 or 751.4748 or send an email to
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for inquiries.

Experts from Belgium clarify issues on Quenched and Tempered Rebars

Thursday, 13 December 2018 07:26

To enlighten the steel stakeholders regarding the safety and reliability of the use of Quenched and Tempered (QT) Steel Reinforcement Bars (rebars), the Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) conducted a Forum on the subject matter last 06 November 2018 at the DTI-BOI Penthouse in Makati City. The Forum was highlighted by resource speakers from the Centre de Recherches Métallurgiques or theCRM Group, the developer of Tempcore™ which is a leading process for the production of rebars globally.

More than 50 participants from the government, academe, and industry sectors discussed on the issues related to QT rebars.

DTI-BPS Director, Engr. James E. Empeño opened the forum by welcoming the participants and reminding them of their roles in sustaining the safety and reliability of the steel industry in the country. His welcome speech was followed by a presentation from Engr. Emilio Morales on his claimed compiled worldwide “studies” against QT rebars in comparison to Microalloyed (MA) steel. Engr. Morales alleges that MA steel is much superior to QT steel and that QT steel is not recommended for use in highly seismic areas such as the Philippines.

Engr. Jean Borlée began their presentation by providing an overview of the business of CRM Group. He discussed how the Tempcore™ Technology works and how the brand has penetrated the world market since its development in 1975 which included seismic countries such as Portugal, Italy, Greece and Turkey. He also presented studies from global steel manufacturers supporting the safety and reliability of QT Steel.

Engr. Jean-François Noville afterward showed the comparison of QT steel versus MA steel in terms of how they are processed and explained the proper use and application of QT bars during assembly, bending and galvanising in construction. His presentation affirmed the suitability of QT rebars for seismic zones, emphasizing that QT rebars have low propensity to embrittlement yet have high ductility under tensile stress and are capacitated to absorb energy during an earthquake. He closed CRM Group’s presentation with a comparative analysis of steel standards among earthquake-prone countries.

After the presentations, the floor was opened for questions addressed to the CRM. A query was raised regarding the grade marking mechanism for steel billets in the Philippines. At present, the actual grade rating is not required to be embossed on the steel but is only color-marked in the end part surface of the bar to be identified of its grade. Such practice is done to allow “downgrading” where manufacturers can easily change the color marks. Downgrading happens when a particular steel bar is reclassified to a lower grade which it passed, if this does not meet the higher grade that it intends to be. The CRM Group clarified that downgrading is an accepted practice in any kind of industry to some extent as long as it is controlled and justified.

It was also stated in the forum that QT bars are not recommended in a country with a marine environment due to its corrosive reaction to salt water. But the CRM Group explained that both QT and MA steelbars are equally prone to corrosion when exposed to harsh conditions such as salt water, thus the MA steel bars are not superior to QT steel bars as implied.

It was also stated that the industries have subjected their QT steel bars to cycle fatigue tests to support that QT Rebars actually can endure seismic conditions. DTI-CPG Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo requested them to provide the DTI the test results as soon as they are available. Undersecretary Castelo asserts, “the DTI extends its appreciation to the CRM Group for taking time to educate the participants and reassures the industry and the consumers that the Department will continue to take action to resolve the issues on QT rebars. “

The Deformed Steel Bars are one of the products regulated by the DTI-BPS through the Product Certification Scheme wherein certain critical products, identified by the bureau, are required to comply with their corresponding Philippine National Standard (PNS) prior to retail. Deformed Steel Bars are covered under PNS 49:2002.

For more information, please call the DTI-BPS at 751.4740 or 751.4748 or send an email to
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or visit the BPS web portal at www.bps.dti.gov.ph.

To streamline its procedures on tests and inspections based on the Philippine National Standards (PNS), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Bureau of Philippine Standards – Product Testing Division (BPS-PTD), develops Project LISTO (Laboratory Initiative in Systematic Testing Operation) which aims to streamline test procedures through a computer database.

In compliance with Philippine National Standard (PNS) International Organization for Standardization (ISO) / International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, the DTI-BPS’ PTD currently access documents, PNS and test procedures, manually so that all documents can be controlled. These documents are interrelated which means that when there is a revision or an update on a test procedure, all related documents need to be reprinted and properly marked as controlled and official copies.